May 14, 2004
ATLANTA – Micah Owings pitched eight strong innings and Brandon Boggs had a three-run homer as No. 15 Georgia Tech (32-17, 13-5 ACC) extended its season-long winning streak to 11 games in an 8-3 win over No. 20 Clemson (32-19, 12-7) in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets tied a school record with their 11th straight win in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Tech’s 11-game overall win streak is the second longest active streak in the nation behind a 14-game win streak by George Washington.
Tech remains in second place in the ACC standings behind Virginia (17-6), an 11-7 winner over Wake Forest on Saturday. But the Yellow Jackets still control their own fate in the conference race by virtue of having fewer losses than the Cavaliers.
Owings (7-2), who worked a season high eight innings, earned his third win in his last four starts. He allowed two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven. After allowing two runs on three hits in the first inning, the right-hander limited Clemson to just one hit over the next seven innings.
Steven Blackwood paced the Tech offense with three hits and two RBI, while Boggs and Mike Trapani had two hits apiece.
Lou Santangelo staked Clemson to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with his 14th home run of the year. Tech answered with three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-2 lead. Tyler Greene drew a one-out walk and scored on Blackwood’s RBI double off the left field wall. Owings scored Blackwood with a RBI single, and Clifton Remole drove in the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
The Yellow Jackets scored four times in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 7-2. Patterson and Greene drew walks to lead off the inning, and Blackwood followed with a RBI single that scored Patterson. Boggs capped the inning with a three-run homer, his sixth of the year, off Clemson reliever Tony Sipp.
Trapani doubled and scored on Patterson’s RBI double to push the Tech lead to 8-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Clemson’s Russell Triplett had a RBI single in the top of the ninth to provide the final 8-3 margin.
Josh Cribb (3-1) took the loss in his first start of the year after 14 relief appearances. Cribb worked 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits and three walks. He struck out two batters.
Clemson third baseman Brad McCann, the ACC’s second-leading hitter at .388, left the game after being hit by a pitch in the hand in the top of the first inning.
Georgia Tech and Clemson continue the series on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. each day. Saturday’s game will be televised by Fox Sports Net South.
